Androscoggin County, Maine
Androscoggin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the county's population was 107,702. Its county seat is Auburn . It is included within the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, Metropolitan Statistical Area and partially included within the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, Metropolitan New England City and Town Area. Bates College is located in the Androscoggin County city of Lewiston. History Demand for a new county emerged when the residents of the rapidly growing town of Lewiston complained of the long distance they had to travel to reach Wiscasset, the county seat of Lincoln County, in which county Lewiston was originally located. It was also an impractical circumstance as Lewiston's neighbor, Auburn, was part of Cumberland County. As the growing partnership of the two towns emerged, the case for the towns to be in the same county grew. Different plans were discussed, including Lewiston joining Cumberland County. Eventually, the idea of a new county came to the table. The debate then became over which town would be the center of the new county. Bath, Brunswick, and Lewiston each desired the distinction. Lewiston would eventually win the debate. Androscoggin County was created in 1854 from towns originally in Cumberland County, Lincoln County, Kennebec County, and Oxford County. The next issue centered on where to put the county seat, as both Lewiston and Auburn desired to be named the county seat. It would eventually be put to a vote, with both towns putting different offers on the table, including ideas to cut the costs of the new county buildings for surrounding towns. Auburn would eventually win a convincing victory, with the towns on each side of the river voting for the town on their side. As more people then lived to the west of the Androscoggin River, Auburn won the vote.Hodgkin, Douglas I., Frontier to Industrial City:Lewiston Town Politics 1768–1863. Just Write Books, Topsham, Maine, 2008 Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 94.58%) is land and (or 5.42%) is water. Adjacent counties *Franklin County, Maine - north *Kennebec County, Maine - northeast *Sagadahoc County, Maine - southeast *Cumberland County, Maine - south *Oxford County, Maine - west Demographics 2012 Estimate }} As of the census of 2000, there were 103,793 people, 42,028 households, and 27,192 families residing in the county. The population density was 221 people per square mile (85/km²). There were 45,960 housing units at an average density of 98 per square mile (38/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.98% White, 0.66% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. 0.95% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.5% were of French Canadian, 19.4% French, 14.3% English, 9.7% United States or American and 8.4% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 9.6% of the population speak French and 1.5% of the population speak Spanish at home. There were 42,028 households out of which 30.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.60% were married couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.30% were non-families. 28.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.91. In the county the population was spread out with 23.90% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 29.70% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $35,793, and the median income for a family was $44,082. Males had a median income of $31,622 versus $22,366 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,734. About 7.50% of families and 11.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.80% of those under age 18 and 11.00% of those age 65 or over. Media Newspapers * Lewiston Sun Journal prints a daily newspaper in four different editions statewide. The Sun Journal was the recipient of the 2008 New England Daily Newspaper of the Year and the 2009 Maine Press Association Newspaper of the Year. Magazines * Lewiston Auburn Magazine, launched in April 2010, features current events and history of Lewiston/Auburn, with an emphasis on the people who are helping to rebuild the area. Politics Presidential elections In Presidential elections Androscoggin County has been one of the most consistently, though not always the most strongly, Democratic counties in the state. It was the only county in Maine to be won by George McGovern in 1972. Jimmy Carter also carried the county twice. In 1984 and 1988 it went for the Republican candidate.David Leip's Presidential Atlas (Maps for Maine by election) In the last five Presidential elections the Republican candidate has received as much as 43.7%, but still lost by more than ten percent each time.The New York Times electoral map (Zoom in on Maine) In 2012, the county voted 54% against a measure to legalize same-sex marriage.http://www.politico.com/2012-election/map/#/Measures/2012/ME Voter registration Voter registration Cities and towns *Auburn *Durham *Greene *Leeds *Lewiston *Lisbon *Livermore *Livermore Falls *Mechanic Falls *Minot *Poland *Sabattus *Turner *Wales See also *Androscoggin Creature *Lisbon School Department *National Register of Historic Places listings in Androscoggin County, Maine References External links *Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce *Maine Local Government - County of Androscoggin page Category:Counties of Maine Category:Androscoggin County, Maine Category:1854 establishments in the United States